The Rebbe: What is a Rebbe ?

00:00 As we find ourselves at the conclusion of Gimmel Tammuz, therefore, in honor of Gimmel Tammuz, and in reference to a letter which the Rebbe wrote on the day of Gimmel Tammuz in the year תש"י, 1950, in which the Rebbe elaborates on the concept of a Rebbe, what is a Rebbe, we will discuss Sichas which elaborate further on this topic. In a Sicha from Chalamed, Sukkos תש"א, that's late 1950, the Rebbe explained that a Rebbe is a neshama klalis, a general neshama, and a klal which is beyond serving as a general principle of details. And he connects the infinite levels of godliness with worlds. In the Yam Yem of Chavov Shvat, the 26th of Shvat, the Rebbe cites the following. Love is the spirit of life in the service of Chasidus. It is the lifeline that binds Chasidim to each other, that binds the Rebbe to the Chasidim and the Chasidim to the Rebbe. It functions both as a direct light, eir yosher, and a rebounding light, eir chezer. It knows no barriers and transcends the bounds of space and time. On Chofei Elul תש"א, on the 25th of Elul 1951, there was a group of students who were zecher to be accepted in Yichidus by the Rebbe, and they asked various questions. One question that they asked was, what is a Rebbe? Could everybody or anyone become a Rebbe? So the Rebbe responded as follows. A Rebbe does not see himself greater than his Chasidim, but in his neshama, in his soul, is included also

02:26 a part of the neshamas of Chasidim who are connected to him. And when a Chasid comes to the Rebbe because of a certain problem, he requests to find by the Rebbe the part of his soul which is blended in the neshama of the Rebbe and wants to connect it with his neshama. And through this, he will be connected to the neshama of the Rebbe. And through this connection, the Chasid receives life and his physical and spiritual needs. The Rebbe says the example for this is a lamp, an electric lamp that generates light. The lamp itself cannot create light. It all starts from a distant place from the city. There is a power station there, and this generates and creates the power of electric which is needed, necessary to give light. And there is also a need for a cable, because through the cable, this energy could reach to every light, every lamp that gives off light. And in addition to this, the lamp also needs to be fit, compatible to the electric power that is coming through into the lamp. And the melech, this will enable the lamp to receive the keyach, the energy from the power station. This cable basically is a metal cable that is connected to the power station and is also connected to the lamp. And when this connection is opened, by opening a switch, the lamp receives its energy and this is when it functions and gives light. Likewise, between a Rebbe and Chasidim. A Rebbe is a power station

05:00 who creates the strength which is necessary to be able to fulfill mitzvahs and spiritual obligations. Likewise, he also gives them physical chashpas. The cable which connects and transfers the energy from the power station to the individual location is the neshama of the Chasid, which is connected in the neshama of the Rebbe. And the greater that the Rebbe is, the greater amount of light is given off. The only function of the Rebbe is to satisfy the necessary needs, as mentioned earlier, the spiritual ones and the physical ones to his Chasidim. But the Rebbe also needs to fulfill his own physical functions, but this is not his goal, and this is not his primary function. It is only that since his neshama is found in a physical body which cannot exist without having the needs that a physical body needs, therefore, he needs to also cater to his own personal needs. And the Rebbe brings an example. A person comes to his teacher, and he complains about a headache, and his teacher gives him an aspirin. It is definite that we can't derive from this that this is the function of his teacher. In the same sense, when a Rebbe, when a Rebbe needs to fulfill the necessary needs of his body, we can't say that this is his primary function in world. And then the Rebbe continues, not everybody could become a Rebbe. There is a need to receive something from above in order to be able to fulfill this function. It is easier when a

07:32 Rebbe receives it by Yerusha. It's passed down from the ancestors of his. As it is easier for a person who received a specific talent in a Yerusha inherited from an ancestor of his, and then the person could fulfill and develop this talent in a more advanced manner than one who did not receive it from an ancestor. Im yirtzeh Hashem, in the next installment, we will continue on this topic. Behem shech to the earlier installment, Bene Geir, to what is a Rebbe. We continue now with installment number two, discussing additional insights on this topic. In Yechidus of the 23rd of Tov Shin Yutes, 1959, a kvutze, a group of students from the Hillel Foundation had a Yechidus by the Rebbe. And one of the questions that the Rebbe was asked was, is leadership determined by principles and not by Yerusha, not by inheritance? And the Rebbe answered as follows. Only based on principles. One who is an appropriate person and has an aptitude in a specific direction. For example, he has a father who devoted himself all his life to certain principles to the extent that it permeated to the core of his essence. It is definite that this also permeates his wife and his children. When a person is permeated with a certain principle, the first ones that are impacted from this are the son and the daughter. And if it is a topic of Torah or Kabbalah, then the son is more masim for it. The reason that the son accepts this leadership is

10:14 not because he is the son of a leader, but because he has this quality in a great measure and to a great extent. Referring to justice, education, enthusiasm that he has received from his father and from the environment. Therefore, he has a greater chance to assume the leadership after his father. Rebbe mentions the interesting example from the Tzemach Tzedek. The Tzemach Tzedek became an orphan from his mother in the third year of his life. And the Alter Rebbe, his grandfather, educated him, was mechanechem, raised him in a personal way. And therefore, he had a greater chance, an opportunity to receive this chinuch more than the children of the Mitteler Rebbe, who were also the grandchildren of the Alter Rebbe. And then the Rebbe sums it up that this explanation is for an intellectual person. A Hasid needs to receive a more spiritual insight. And that is that the essence of a Rebbe is not determined through coincidence or temporary occurrences, but through matters which are higher than us. Rebbe mentions that the son of the Mezitcher Maggid, Rabbi Avraham Malach, served as a successor for his father only five years. And after that, he was nifter. Which means that this matter is not dependent at all on something physical, but rather on something spiritual and godly. Now we go on to a sicha for Shabbos Parshas Chukas that the Rebbe said forty years ago, תשמ"א. In the sicha, the Rebbe says that Mishnas one says that he has questions on the Rebbe and on what

12:39 he says. So the Rebbe says a person needs to know it's not a wonder and exceptional that he has questions because the Rebbe is the Nasi, and a Nasi who Hakeil, the leader encompasses everything. And since Hakeil means greater than just a segment of something, so therefore how is it shayeach to understand the Rebbe? And since this individual is only a part of a whole essence, so it's no wonder that he doesn't understand the Rebbe who is Hakeil, who is everything. How could a segment of something understand everything? Rebbe says the wonder is that he understands even a chelek, even a segment of his Rebbe. Because ki she'atatef es bimikhtzah asei atatef es mikulei. When you grab onto a part, a segment of essence, you are grabbing onto everything. So the Rebbe says, therefore, hayetach, how is it possible that even in the segment that he does have, the person should be able to understand the Rebbe? We will im yirtze Hashem continue in the next installment. Behem shechem, continuation to the earlier installments benegeir to the concept of a Rebbe. We continue now with installment number three, discussing an additional insight what the Rebbe wrote during the time of the court case regarding the tzaddim in the Agudas Chabad Library. One of the main claims that the Rebbe wished to present to the court with regard to this case was the fact that the previous Rebbe wrote explicitly in a letter while he was in Poland that the library is property of Agudas Chabad.

14:58 The opposing side attempted to refute this claim by suggesting that this was only written in order to ensure the library's safe exit from war-torn Europe. But in truth, the previous Rebbe did not intend that it was really and legally property of the organization. Meaning, they implied that the previous Rebbe did not mean exactly what he wrote. Chas v'shalom, God forbid. Here in this statement that we will soon read, the Rebbe articulates in great detail that to think of such a behavior by the previous Rebbe is absolutely out of the question. It is precisely the opposite of what the whole being of a Rebbe stands for. In addition, the Rebbe protested against the terrible chilul Hashem that takes place when such a school of thought is aired publicly. The Rebbe wrote the following. This is a free translation of the original document that the Rebbe wrote in Hebrew, as it is translated here by Chassidish Adar. As with all Chabad Rebbes, the first foundation is truthfully nullifying one's existence starting with himself. Being a Rebbe, it is his integral and primary mission to guide and strengthen Chassidim in Torah mitzvahs in general, beginning with belief in Hashem, keeping the laws of Shulchan Aruch, etc., and to show them a living example of this, even when it requires the extent of actual mesiras nefesh. It is self-understood that a Rebbe must also withhold all actions that may mistakenly be explained contrary to the above. Only after this comes the Rebbe's private life, and in this aspect as

17:23 well, the foundation is not to interfere at all with his general and primary purpose. Behem shech to the earlier installments benegeir to the concept of what is a Rebbe. We continue now with installment number four, discussing additional insights of how the Rebbe explains the relationship that exists between the Rebbe and the people in their generation. In Hasicha Shabbos Parsha Vayakhel תכו, 1966, the Rebbe related to the Mishnah where it says that the first day of Nisan, Rosh Chodesh Nisan, is considered Rosh Hashanah Limlochim. It is the new year for kings. This is how it is calculated in the calendar When we count the years of a king in his reign. The Inyan of Melachim kings relates to Raboseinu Nesiyenu. Raboseinu means our teachers. Nesiyenu means our leaders, referring to the Rebbes of Chabad. Raboseinu is, as our sages tell us, man malche Rabbonim. That who is considered a king are the Rabbonim, the sages. But the Inyan of Raboseinu, which means our teachers, our mentors, are only in relationship to spiritual matters, to Inyanim of Torah, teaching Torah. As we see that when it comes to Erov, a person asks a question in Halacha, and the Rebbe continues, but a level that's higher than that is Nesiyenu, Raboseinu Nesiyenu. Nesiyenu relates also to physical matters, which means that there is a request for something that a person is lacking in a physical manner, and that's when he comes to the Rebbe as the Rebbe is Nesiyenu, the leader. And the Rebbe continues that although the

19:58 Alter Rebbe writes in the famous letter in Igeres HaKodesh, the fourth section of Tanya, chapter twenty-two, that, that Hasidim should not turn to him to ask him Bene Gea to physical needs. Nevertheless, we see that in a practical sense, from the Alter Rebbe throughout all the generations, and also beginning already from the Baal Shem Tov to the previous Rebbe, in every year, in every month, and every week, people turned to the Rabbeim to ask them advice, questions Bene Gea to physical matters. And therefore, the Rebbe continues and concludes, we find that in Cheshvan, there are many Inyanim that relate to Raboseinu Nesiyenu. As we see that the Yemei Hilulah, the days of the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe Rashab are in Cheshvan. And likewise, the assuming of the leadership of their successors, Rebbe Maharash and the previous Rebbe are also in Cheshvan. In a Sicha, the second day of Halamei Sukkot, taf shin mem hei, late 1984, the Rebbe speaks about the experience that the Rabbeim experienced together with Hasidim in their troublesome times. Movon v'gam pasut, it is understood and it is simple that as they are Nesiim, the Rabbeim lived, ze homitgelept, they endured the conditions, the physical conditions of Yidden in their time, as we see it in many of the Igeres HaKodesh, many of the letters that the Rabbeim wrote to help support their brethren. Some of these letters were published, and from this we also understand Bene Gea to the others that for reasons were not yet

22:25 published. We see it from Tanya in the fourth section of Tanya in the Igeres HaKodesh, many letters that the Alter Rebbe writes to help support the brethren who find themselves in Eretz Yisroel becholom. Likewise, in the first Maamar that the Rebbe delivered on Yud Shevat, the evening going into Yud Aleph Shevat, taf shin Yud Aleph, 1951, assuming leadership in a formal manner, the Rebbe describes the pain of the previous Rebbe. As the Rebbe mentions toward the conclusion of the Maamar, es choiyenu hu nasa u mechivenu sovlam ve hu mechulul mipshoinu medukama veneseinu, which means that our illness he carried, our pain he endured, and he was hurt and broken from Pshoenu and Avoneseinu. And in the same sense that we saw our troubled times, the Rebbe concludes with the redemption that the previous Rebbe will redeem Yidden from Galus. In a Sicha Shabbos Parsha Metzora, taf shin Yud Daled, that's summertime 1954, the Rebbe speaks about the unique quality of studying the Torah of the Rebbe. Our sages tell us, tzadikim deim libeitum, that tzadikim are compared to the Creator. And in the same sense that the Almighty has enclosed himself, enclosed his essence in Torah, as the Talmud tells us in the Tractate of Shabbos, anan nafshi ksovis Yehovah, I have en-inscribed and enclosed myself in Torah. Likewise, the tzadikim have enclosed themselves with their whole essence in their Torah. And this is a unique quality in the sense that it touches higher than the regular standard level of the neshamah. In the neshamah,

24:57 there are five levels, nefesh, ruach, haneshamah, chaya, yechidah. Nefesh, ruach, haneshamah are the three lower levels, and they are found in the neshamah as the neshamah finds itself in the body. Chaya and yechidah are higher,yechidah being the highest. Lashon yochid. So the Rebbe says when it comes to connecting with the Rebbe, by learning his Torah, we connect with a level that is even higher yet than yechidah, because yechidah is one of the five names of the neshamah. As the Midrash tells us in Breishis Rabah, "Chamisha shemos nikra la," five names. Yechidah is also considered a name. But the essence of the neshamah is higher yet than yechidah. Therefore, when one studies the Chassidus of the Rebbe, and he studies it without any limitations, and he follows his ways and his teachings, although he doesn't understand everything, then the essence of the Chassid connects with the essence of the Rebbe. Because since his learning is in, in a manner that he is putting his whole essence into it, he's putting himself completely into it. As the famous quote that the previous Rebbe said, "Not only that he studies Torah, but Torah teaches him." And since in this Torah is found the essence of the Rebbe, so bemeheilah then the essence of the Chassid connects with the essence of the Rebbe, which is higher than yechidah sheb'nefesh. And bemeheilah then the blessings come down from above in a infinite way in everything that the person needs. We will, Im Yirtze Hashem, continue in the next installment.

27:08 Behemesekh to the earlier installments benegeah to the topic of Rebbe, what is a Rebbe? Continuing now with installment number five, discussing additional short stories or quotes from the Rebbe benegeah to the relationship between the Rebbe and a Chassid. On one occasion, a Chassid mentioned to the Rebbe that the Rebbe's giving him extraordinary, exceptional kiruvim, and that shows that he's not a Chassid, because a Chassid would not need these kiruvim. Kiruvim are basically for one who's not a Chassid. So the Rebbe responded to him as follows, "You need to decide what do you prefer more, either kiruvim from me and complaints and criticism of Chassidim that they're telling you you're not a Chassid, or not to receive any more kiruvim, and bemeheilah this will remove the criticism of Chassidim." On another occasion, the Rebbe told a Chassid who seemingly was leaving New York to return back to his home that, "When you are taking the spirituality that you received here, you are also taking me, and I'm cautioning you that you should use me, fulfill me only for good things." It was once during the time that the Rebbe distributed lecha, honey cake, which was basically Erev Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashana Rabah, and one of the Chassidim asked the Rebbe if by eating the lecha, the hashoah, the brachos that the Rebbe gives with giving lecha also doesn't exist anymore. So the Rebbe responded that when you eat the lecha, the physical aspect of the lecha is hakei eaten, but the spiritual aspect that came

29:32 with the lecha remains also later. It was in the year Taf Shin Yud or Yud-- Taf Shin Yud Alef, which is basically 1950 or 1951, the Rebbe came to be Menachem Avul, a family that was sitting shiva then for a distinguished Rav. I think the family name was Rosenberg. The story I heard from Rabbi Yisroel Gordon. And after the Rebbe was done with Nichom Aveilim, before leaving, they asked the Rebbe if he is willing to accept shalim, which means that people approach the Rebbe, they shake his hand, as it is customary in other Chassidic circles. The Rebbe consented. At one point, one of the Chassidim there who approached the Rebbe felt a very close feeling to the Rebbe. He said to the Rebbe, "I'm afraid I am be- becoming your Chassid." So the Rebbe told him, "Why do you need to do it out of fear? You can do it out of ahavah, out of affection." In Taf Shin Chaf Tes, 1969 approximately, there was a yechidus for Rabbi Ephraim Hager, as n- known in England, one of the choshuva anash, Freddy Hager, and he was a descendant from the Vizhnitzer Rebbes. Once when in teyichidus, and when this was brought up in yechidus that he is a descendant of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, so the Rebbe told him, "You know what a Rebbe is? A Rebbe," the Rebbe continues, "is like the Baal Shem Tov. He did not go to sleep till everything that he had in the house, in yonim gashmiym in the house,

31:36 he gave it to someone else. This is what it means a Rebbe." And the Rebbe continued, uh, that, "Ulai, perhaps you should also follow the footsteps of your grandfather." In a sicha of Chaya Elul Taf Shin Yud, 1950, the Rebbe said the following, "There are those that are dreaming and figuring that when Mashiach will come, there will be ups-- a different Rebbe, epes a nander Rebbe." The Rebbe says, "The re- truth is, the reality is that when Mashiach will come, we will have our Rebbe. Mir veln hobn undzer Rebbe, the same Rebbe and the same Chassidim."